"Emmy Award Winning"

As Uncle Mike said, "Just like the president they can never take the title from you." George W. and I are very relieved about that.

Good things about winning an Emmy:

1. See above. The Good Doctor has been instructed to refer to me as his "Emmy award winning wife" and I now refer to myself in the 3rd person, "The Emmy award winner is thirsty. The Emmy Award winner wants some Ben & Jerry's."

2. It's really shiny and pointy and has a nice hefty feel to it.

3. You see who is really happy for you.

4. You get wear a pretty dress and a feather in your hair.

5. You get to scream and shout and clap and burst with pride for your friends when they win.

6. Mike Sugerman, someone I've admired and listened to on KCBS and watched on CBS5, comes up to you after he co-wins the category for best reporter and says, "Man, I just wanted you to know, I watched the entries in our category and if I was judging--I would've voted for you. Really." Almost as good as having my name on the best reporter Emmy. But very, very kind and a compliment well taken.

7. You get awesome texts from your family and friends who are watching the webcast. Especially my "punctuation free spirit" dad.

After I bumbled through my speech:

Dad: "No need to thank husband or .... ? :-)))"

After I lost the last 3 categories I was up for (Specialty Assignment Report, Reporter, Writer-News):

1. The ceremony is loooooong. And not as interesting as you might think.

2. It is -- shockingly-- a teeny tiny little bit anticlimactic. This was THE single most astonishing thing to me once we got in the car. I was holding the Emmy, and thinking, "DUDE, this is what I've been fiending for like a maniac and obsessing about and wanting to win so badly?"

Don't get me wrong, I am SUPER HAPPY to finally be an Emmy winner. But it surprised me how quickly it put things in perspective--awards are fantastic, but your health, your family, your life, all the things you can't "win" are so important in the big picture and even if you don't win an award, having all those other things and making sure your priorities are straight is a W in its own way. That said, the night is WAAAAAY better when you leave with a shiny golden ladyfriend. (That's what he said.)

3. You give a terrible speech because you're flustered and unprepared and a rambler when you're nervous. And you forget to thank THE most important people--the Kim family and adorable Sophie, for being such incredible people to welcome us and share their story and for trusting us to tell it.

4. Raj Mathai teases you endlessly and asks you if you will "still talk to the little people." Last time I checked, he was a MULTIPLE Emmy award winner.

5. Sometimes really average, run of the mill stories win. I don't mean in my categories. Losing to Wayne Freedman (who now has 51 Emmys, that's five-one as in FIFTY-ONE) and Mike Sugerman (who has 40 years in the biz) and Anna Werner (one of the top investigative reporters in the industry) is as close to not winning-winning as I can get.

But some of the stories that win do not fall in Garvin Thomas' "You have to have really good stuff to win, but really good stuff doesn't always win" philosophy. And that part is what dilutes the Emmys and adds in that element of total randomness that comes from this process. By and large, Emmy winning stories are worth watching and they do represent the best stories of the year.

But a few slip in there that make you say, "That won?!?" And people who you think are just spectacular, and who've won best reporter in the past, can submit 5 things and not even get nominated. The beauty of subjectivity.

6. In two of your categories, there were four nominees and two winners (Writer-News and Reporter) and you were in the losing half. #ouch But still not as bad as a very talented anchor I used to work with. He boycotted the Emmys altogether after he was up for Anchor and there were 3 winners out of 4 nominees. They called every name but his. #thatreallyhurts

Now comes the fun part. Where do I put it? Suggestions?

It's currently on our buffet, between a lily White Grandma gave me for Mother's Day, and the shrimp and snail biosphere I got The Good Doctor for his birthday.

Here is our story in the "Feature News Report--Serious" category: "Saving Sophie"

The other story that also won in this category is here. (Emmys are supposed to be judged against the Emmy standard, not against each other, so some categories can have multiple winners.)